By Sr Melissa Dwyer
I RECENTLY attended the Ignite Youth Conference in Brisbane and in the weeks that have followed I’ve struggled to get one particular song out of my head.
I don’t know the words of the verses, or even the entire chorus, but the one phrase that is still ringing in my ears is, “Your love is louder”.
The focus of the song that still echoes in my heart reminds me that God’s love is louder than anything else that exists in our world or in my life.
Sometimes it’s difficult to see that God’s love is louder than all the various noises that surround us.
We turn on the news and are confronted with violence, terror and hatred.
But God’s love is louder than all of that.
We see people dying of famine and threats of nuclear war.
But God’s love is louder.
On our own shores, more than three million people live below the poverty line.
Again, God promises that His love is louder.
In order to see the promise of God’s love that surpasses everything, we require a deep level of faith. When the challenges of life shake us, it’s then that Jesus invites us to sit at the foot of the cross and contemplate His greatest love.
When we’re called upon to make sense of difficulties that are unable to be explained with human reasoning, it’s then that we look at the cross and see the most powerful expression of a love that doesn’t make sense.
Seemingly, it was illogical that Jesus had to suffer and die in such an excruciating way on the cross.
Yet from that unparalleled act of selfless love for us, we draw strength to keep going, conscious that love can overcome death.
Pope Francis assures us that the awesomeness of God’s love is unstoppable, because “no chain is able to hold back the real power of love, that which empowers us, for even on the cross, or on the death bed, one is able to love”.
The challenge for us is to allow love to be at the forefront of our lives.
In the same way that God loves us, we too are called to love.
We’re called to a radical love which goes beyond differences.
We’re called to a selfless love that puts others first.
We’re called to a passionate love where nothing is too hard if someone is in need.
We’re called to a love in imitation of Jesus crucified, our great exemplar.
As we continue on our journey, we pray for an increase in faith, which enables us to look to Jesus when the waves crash around us.
May we be continually reminded in our daily lives that yes, God’s love is louder than all that threatens to overwhelm us.
And just as God’s love is louder, so too God’s love manifest in us can be louder than the noise of the hatred, violence and suffering.
Let us be people of hope, trusting that with God, love overcomes all and that when the sky is darkest, that’s when we see the stars.
